Jakotango -
Horse Riding Patagonia
Beginning in Río Grande you’ll make yourself at home at one of the pioneering sheep farms in the region with the biggest shearing shed in the world, fly fishing in the gin clear rivers and cantering for long days across the wide open steppe. From here you’ll head into the mountains to scale dizzying ridges, trusting your surefooted horse entirely as you look down on the condors circling below you. You’ll rest and relax at the refined Estancia El Boquerón, perhaps enjoying a spot of tennis or polo, but also experience fly-camping at a lonely shepherd’s hut enjoying delicious meals cooked on an open fire and immersing yourself in the proud gaucho culture of the region, listening to stories around a crackling campfire, malbec in hand.
Riding so far from civilisation in such a harsh but breathtaking environment is an honour, especially in the company of Patagonia’s master horsemen, their horses and their dogs. This journey is a tapestry woven with the threads of Argentina’s endless beauty and proud heritage.
You will love
- Your remarkable guide, Marcus Villamil
- Great hospitality and delicious food
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Patagonia’s immense mountain scenery
- Galloping across the steppe and picking your way up mountain passes
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The rich gaucho heritage
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Genteel estancias and remote outposts
8 UNFORGETTABLE DAYS | HORSE RIDING IN PATAGONIA
DAY 1 | SAN JOSE
Fly to Río Grande where you will be met by us. First, we will drive you to Estancia María Behety, one of the pioneering sheep farms in the region with the biggest shearing shed in the world. Here, we will have breakfast.
After, we will continue on to Estancia San José, our first two nights’ stay and headquarters for our operation. Once there, you will be shown to your rooms and given a chance to settle in, before a lunch at the shearing shed. It is an Argentine institution to have a siesta every day.
The afternoon ride is comparatively short, but it’s your first opportunity to get a feel for your horse and gaucho-style saddle. We will head out in the evening light, to get accustomed to our horses and become oriented within the extensive steppe.
We will end our day with drinks and dinner in the shearing shed.
DAY 2 | SAN JOSE
Breakfast at the estancia and a three-hour ride to lunch on the Río Grande.
This river is host to some of the largest sea run trout in the world, so it’s an excellent opportunity to get off our horses to fly fish. We will provide rods and all the fishing equipment (waders, boots, jackets, etc.). For this we will need previous notice since the licenses and the guide needs to be organised. This will be at an additional cost.
For those who aren’t avid anglers, we’ll have a picnic lunch and a siesta on the banks of the river.
After, we will return to the estancia, cantering quite a bit to cover ground, and stopping for a whiskey at the historic trenches dug during the Beagle conict of 1978 – a border conflict between Chile and Argentina, eventually settled by the Pope.
DAY 3 | SAN JOSE - RIO APEN
Today is a long ride of about 35 miles which will take about eight hours to cover. There’ll be lots of cantering across a variety of scenery, as we ride from the steppe into the mountains.
During breakfast, you will be given saddlebags to pack your picnic lunch, snacks and other essentials for the day.
Lunch will be on a beautiful spot on Río Menendez and, after a siesta, we will continue our way to Estancia Río Apen.
Your accommodation here will be in shepherd’s huts with double beds and sleeping bags. There is a cabin with a fireplace, where dinner will be served.
DAY 4 | RIO APEN – BOQUERON
Today, we will change horses. The ones that you have been riding so far will return to Estancia San José and you will be given new ones brought from Estancia El Boquerón, where you will be riding to today.
DAY 4 CONTINUED
This is a beautiful, yellow house set in the heart of the island also owned by Ini Menendez Behety, who owns the iconic María Behety farm that you visited on your arrival day. It’s an easy three-hour ride to El Boquerón where we will stop for lunch. In the afternoon, you can go riding or walking if you would like to stretch your legs.
Overnight in the yellow house at Estancia El Boquerón.
DAY 5 | BOQUERON – EL REPUBLICA
This is a ride into the complete wilderness. You will leave your luggage behind and take in your saddle bags whatever you need for one night’s camping. There is no access by car to where you are going, only by horseback. We will ride for about four hours in the morning, then stop for a picnic lunch, before continuing on for another couple of hours until we reach Puesto República.
El República is a very remote, simple shelter, built as a shepherd’s camp. You will sleep in dome tents big enough to stand in, on cot-beds with mattresses and sleeping bags.
Dinner and breakfast will be cooked on an open fire, under the stars.
DAY 6 | EL REPUBLICA - BOQUERON
This is the day that you ride up the highest peak of our ‘end of the world’ ride. Thrilling, but challenging for those with vertigo, the scenery is breathtaking and the most extraordinary view of the trip.
We will picnic at this epic location and, in the afternoon, ride back to El Boquerón to enjoy a good shower, a cozy bed and meet your luggage again.
DAY 7 | BOQUERON – VIAMONTE
A morning ride up to the “Cerro Pelado” before returning to El Boquerón for lunch.
After lunch, you will say goodbye to the gauchos and guides, before your off-road experience in a 4×4 towards Estancia Viamonte begins. Estancia Viamonte was founded in 1902 by Lucas Bridges, author of “Uttermost Part of the Earth” and one of the British pioneers to populate Tierra del Fuego amongst its indigenous people.
Farewell dinner and a good night’s sleep.
DAY 8 | END OF ITINERARY
After breakfast, you will be driven two hours to Ushuaia Airport to begin your journey home or continue with your onward arrangements. Chat to us about spending time in Buenos Aires, wine tasting in Mendoza or visiting Iguazu Falls, exploring more of South America or even setting sail for Antarctica!
PLEASE NOTE
Please be aware that this itinerary may change if the ride is threatened by bad weather; in Tierra del Fuego, we can experience extreme conditions that change suddenly.
WHERE YOU’LL STAY
A selection of the finest safari camps
Jakotango Estancia El Boqueron
Estancia El Boqueron offers the traveller to explore the rugged countryside on horseback or on foot while staying on a traditional estancia. Run by one of Argentina's top riding guides, Jakob Von Plessen, the estancia offers a countryside retreat from the big smoke of Buenos Aires, in the town of Mar del Plata. Read More
NEED TO KNOW
ACCOMMODATION
San José Lodge is an estancia set within 8,000 hectares of private land with the magnificent Río Grande flowing through it. This is the home of some of the largest sea run trout in the world. The lodge was owned until recently by Ted Turner – an avid fisherman, conservationist, and among America’s biggest land owners. Originally, it was a sheep farm but now its buildings have been renovated to host our guests with ensuite bedrooms and the shearing shed has become a living area with a fireplace inside.
Estancia Río Apen has four gaucho caravans. Each one has a bathroom and two double beds. The common area, which includes a bar and dining room, is a cottage with an indoor parrilla (open fire grill) placed on a hillside with an amazing view
Estancia El Boquerón is situated deep within the heart of the island. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a very comfortable living and dining room. For two nights, at El Boquerón, you will sleep inside the comfort of the estancia.
Puesto República is the most remote location on our ride, accessible only by horse. All of our supplies will be brought in by pack horses. This is proper camping – eating around open fires, under the stars and sleeping in two-man tents with cot-beds, mattresses and sleeping bags. There are no showers at this camp but fresh mountain springs to wash your face and hands. We will spend only one night here.
Estancia Viamonte is the oldest estancia on the Argentine side of the island. The lodge was once home to Lucas Bridges, an icon of the Argentine south, and has a handful of ensuite bedrooms to enjoy for your last night at the end of the world.
Rides operate from December to March
Maximum 8 guests per ride
Length of Rides: Varying between 2-8 hours in the saddle. On longer days, we will stop for a picnic lunch and siesta, untacking our hoses and letting them graze
Riding ability: Competent rider, comfortable at all paces. Unfortunately this itinerary is not suitable for non-riders
Tack: Argentine ‘recado’ saddles with sheepskins and traditional, rawhide bridles. All of our horses are trained to neck-rein
YOUR GUIDE
Marcos Villamil
"My existence has always revolved around the world of horses and farming, a lifelong journey etched into my very being. While I was born in the bustling heart of Buenos Aires city, my family's farm, a three-hour drive away, has been my sanctuary since my earliest memories.
At the age of 17, I embarked on a transformative journey guided by Angelito, a gaucho whose friendship would shape my future in a sense. It was under his guidance that I first learned the intricate art of breaking in a wild horse. By the time I reached 19, I was ready for my first significant expedition - a 200-mile ride that marked the beginning of my deep connection with the vast Argentine landscape. Two years later, I ventured even further, conquering a 620-mile trek. It was during this monumental ride that I realized my deep-seated desire to explore every facet of my homeland.
A stint at university, working in the Agri-Business division of a prominent bank, and plunging into the world of starts ups did nothing to satiate my longing for the wild. So, embarking on a remarkable odyssey spanning 15 months and covering over 5,600 miles, my horses—Mora, Wayra, and Tordo—and I crisscrossed the breathtaking tapestry of Argentina. The landscapes we encountered, the situations we navigated, and the people we met were beyond anything one could fathom."
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